


Light as a Feather

by AnonEhouse



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Dancing, Gen, Kid Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 22:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3357581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonEhouse/pseuds/AnonEhouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a child Tony meets one of Howard's past girlfriends and learns several important things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Light as a Feather

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.)

Tony was sitting on the stairs when he heard the front door chime. He tucked himself small and peeked out between the bannisters, looking down at the top of Jarvis's head and his neatly fitted jacket. Jarvis only dressed up like a butler on special occasions. So whoever the visitor was, it wasn't An Occasion, but it was still safest to make sure. Tony hated dressing up in his stiff suit. The bow tie choked him and the starchy collar made his neck itch, and he wasn't allowed to scratch or fidget or squirm.

Jarvis returned with a lady. Tony liked her because she was walking next to Jarvis and talking to him instead of acting like he wasn't a real person. She had on a neat dress and her hair was shiny and very bright. Jarvis led her to the sitting room and then left. Tony knew he'd have a few minutes before Jarvis found Dad in the workshop, or Mom in the garden, depending on which of them the lady had come to see.

He ran down the stairs, but stopped near the open door of the sitting room, and peered around the corner, undecided whether he wanted to meet the lady, or not.

"Well, hello, bright eyes," the lady called, waving at Tony.

Tony huffed. He thought he'd been a good spy. "Hello," he said and came into the room. Once you were caught, you should be brave about it, Dad always said. And always be polite to ladies, they're tougher than we are and deserve respect. He held out his hand. "I'm Tony. Pleased to meet you."

The lady took his hand and shook it, in the nice way, not too hard or too fast. She had a nice smile, too. "Hello, Tony. I'm an old friend of your father's. He used to call me 'Feathers'."

"I don't see any feathers," Tony said dubiously. Of course, people didn't always say what they meant.

She laughed. "They were on a dress. When we danced they got in his face and made him sneeze."

"You danced with my daddy?" Tony was even more dubious. Daddy didn't dance.

"It was a long time ago, before he met your mother. Howard was one of the best dancers I ever knew, and fascinating to be with. Terribly bright and intelligent."

"I'm smart!" Tony said. Then he frowned. "But I don't know how to dance."

"Oh, darling, you should learn. Here, let me show you." She stood up and took Tony's hands. Feathers hummed a tune and they went around and around and around the sitting room, dancing around the chairs and little book tables until Tony got dizzy and fell down on the Persian carpet, giggling.

"Ginger, it's good to see you."

Tony looked up at his father's voice. Daddy was hugging Feathers. "That's Feathers!" he said. 

Daddy glanced at him, and then at Feathers. "You still remember that?"

"How could I forget. You gave me a locket with a gold feather. Besides, anything's better than being called 'Virginia'." Feathers wrinkled up her nose.

"That's true. Come and meet Maria," Howard said, taking her hand. Without looking at Tony he added, "and you ought to be in bed, young man."

"Yes, Daddy," Tony said, although for once he would have liked to have stayed and visited with the company. Still, he'd learned some things, and any day when you learned something was a good day, Daddy said. Tony went up the stairs to his room, recounting the things he'd learned. He'd learned that Daddy knew how to dance. He'd learned how to dance himself. And he now knew that anyone named Virginia should have a nickname instead.

**Author's Note:**

> A friend who watches Agent Carter (I have no TV) said that Howard had dated Ginger Rogers. Looking up Ginger Rogers' bio, I found this quote: [on Howard Hughes] Howard was one of the best dancers I ever knew, and fascinating to be with. Terribly bright and intelligent. But he was immersed in his work.
> 
> And since I knew that Tony Stark, and after him, Howard Stark, were both based on Howard Hughes... well. I couldn't resist.


End file.
